The RSPCA is “delighted” with how public bodies continued to prioritise animal welfare amid the Covid-19 pandemic – as the charity gives out 73 awards as part of its prestigious PawPrints scheme.

The charity has announced those public bodies recognised for going above and beyond statutory minimums in how they promote welfare – including in their approaches to dealing with stray dogs and planning for local emergencies.

PawPrints – formerly known as the Community Animal Welfare Footprints (CAWF) – was first established in 2008; and recognises service provision which is “too often not celebrated”.

Awards are divided into five PawPrint categories, awarded to bronze, silver or gold standard. They recognise the achievements of public service organisations for their stray dog services, contingency planning, housing policy, animal activity licensing and kennelled dog welfare.

Four special recognition awards have also been awarded in 2021 – with a particular focus on how services were maintained or developed in the face of the pandemic and challenging coronavirus-related restrictions.

In total, 33 organisations landed a ‘Stray Dog’ PawPrint – including an impressive 32 to gold standard. Twelve organisations were recognised for their contingency planning measures, 11 for their approach to housing, nine for licensing and four for kenneling.

Rachel Williams, senior parliamentary adviser at the RSPCA, said: “Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, we know local authorities, emergency services and other public bodies have been under more pressure than ever before.

“We’re overwhelmed and delighted to see how many continued to find a way to prioritise animal welfare – often in the face of staff shortages, challenging budget restrictions and having to adapt amid the Covid-19 lockdowns.

“This is a heartening reminder that even in the most challenging times, so many of our public bodies still want to do the right thing for animals. From proactive work to encourage responsible pet ownership, live planning exercises, timely inspections, subsidised pet neutering and more, it’s a big paws up from us to these public bodies whose work for animals is too often not celebrated.”

Four special recognition awards were given out – to Cardiff Council’s Cardiff Dogs Home, and their associated charity The Rescue Hotel, to Croydon Council’s dog warden, to Westminster City Council’s animal welfare officer and to dog wardens at Wiltshire Council.

Cardiff Council’s special recognition accolade followed the recent opening of a purpose-built veterinary facility on site both for dogs in their care and the wider community; providing affordable neutering, dentals, vaccinations and flea/worm treatment.

Special recognition was also given to Wiltshire Council after the authority made great efforts to work locally with vets and charities to ensure all dogs found straying are checked for a chip and registered with the Council. They also enhanced communication with the public via a new Facebook group, which has promoted important messages about the dangers of leaving dogs in hot cars, dog fouling and what to do if a dog is attacked.

Croydon Council, meanwhile, has earned special praise from the RSPCA for the way in which the dog warden service was maintained throughout the pandemic, including strict new safety protocols, while continuing to provide behavioural, training and welfare advice to owners remotely via email and video conferencing.

Westminster City Council’s animal warden service has also been recognised – with one animal welfare staff member becoming a trained mental health first aider during the pandemic to better understand and support pet owning residents who have mental health conditions. The Council also engaged with residents on issues such as unlicensed breeding and puppy buying, and pet theft; while a new street entertainment and busking policy stops animals being used in performances.

Rachel added: “We’ve issued four special recognition awards this year – to staff at Cardiff, Croydon, Westminster City and Wiltshire. These pay tribute to the inspiring work many staff have done in keeping services going. It’s testimony to the dedication that some services have grown over the last year or so; or adapted to new ways of living.”

The full list of winners is:

The awards have the backing of the Chartered Trading Standards Institute and the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health. They’ve also drawn support from the Local Government Association in England; and the Welsh Local Government Association and Welsh Government in Wales.